Our Predictions on the PlayStation 5 Price
The PlayStation 5 is going to be huge. It’s the next step in console gaming and will soon be available. We look at what it is and how much it might cost.
Sony’s next-generation console, the PlayStation 5 is coming. It’s going to change a lot about the way we play games and the games that are played. The confirmed release date is “holiday period of 2020”, so we know we can expect to see it around November or at the latest, December. The price hasn't yet been confirmed, but read on to see our best guess.
We now know that the PlayStation 5 will come in two different versions at launch. There’s the “standard” edition that will feature the standard PlayStation 5 with an Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive, and there’s a “digital” edition. The “digital” version of the console won’t have a disc drive, so everything that you want to play will need to be downloaded and stored.
The Power Behind the PlayStation
The console has a lot of power, and it’s been a good 7 years since the PlayStation 4 was released, so you’d expect a lot more in terms of power. It’s supposedly going to rid the gaming world of load times and feature backwards compatibility for older titles.
The hood has been lifted on the device, and while similar to the new Xbox, it’s still going to be a huge step up for the world of consoles.
CPU: AMD Zen 2-based CPU with 8 cores at 3.5GHz (variable frequency)
GPU: 10.28 TFLOPs, 36 CUs at 2.23GHz on Custom RDNA2 architecture
Memory: 16GB GDDR6 / 256-bit
Storage: Custom 825GB SSD (NVMe SSD expansion)
Optical drive: 4K UHD Blu-ray drive (optional depending on version)
Not only does this mean that the console is going to be rather speedy and create a more seamless gaming experiences. It also means that the pricing might be a little higher than what we’re used to.
If you do go for the digital edition of the device, you might need a little more storage, which is something that you’re able to add on at a later date. With the latest updates, patches and DLC, the new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is about 200GB in total. You’ll only be able to have about 4 or 5 games of a similar size on a physical drive before you’ll need additional space.
The PlayStation 5 Price
The Playstation 5’s cost to manufacture is undoubtedly going to be substantially higher than previous iterations of the console driving up the final price for us. That’s probably something that everyone can understand. But it’s important that the PS5 price doesn’t push casual gamers out of the market. Despite the fact that many PC gamers will pay upwards of $500 for a graphics card alone, a console in a similar price range is nearing something of a limit to what people will pay.
Historically, data is important. Both the PlayStation and the PlayStation 2 launched at $299, while the PS3 came in at $499, and then the PS4 came in at $399. There was a lot of backlash over the PS3 price and it was quickly lowered. Some economists in the gaming industry think that the PS5 price will indicate it as a loss-leader, meaning that Sony will take a loss to attract customers. This money could then be recouped through games, subscription services, or more.
There have also been a few “leaked” prices for the console, but nothing has yet to be confirmed. But they do seem to point to a similar price point that we suspected all along.
Our estimate for the PS5 price, considering the specs, what’s on offer, and the trend of the market is that you won’t pay more than $499 for it.
Having said that, there are a few caveats to our estimate. First, the Digital edition could be a little cheaper, due to Sony saving money on the drive. Second, the price will depend on what the new Xbox Series X is priced at. Sony, no doubt, want to be similar in pricing to what their competitors are offering to consumers.
Check back here regularly to keep up-to-date on everything about the PS5!